Ford is evolving from a car company into a car and mobility company, with an eye towards the future and a focus on new autonomous driving technology that will make the driving experience even more enjoyable.

Ford is taking a “dual path” – developing features like one-touch parking and driving assistance, anticipating eventually building fully autonomous cars, while also continuing to produce more conventional cars for those who enjoy a more “hands-on” driving experience.

Whether you are looking forward to sitting back and letting your Ford car whisk you away to your destination, or you want to keep your hands firmly in control of your driving experience, you can’t go wrong with Ford!

“Mark led the highly successful transformation of his company in a competitive industry where technology has driven innovation. He is leading Ford into a future where cars are not only vehicles, but increasingly becoming mobile technology platforms,” said Ginni Rometty, IBM’s chairman, president, and CEO.

Under Fields, Ford has looked at alternatives to traditional car ownership, including mergers and acquisitions and partnerships.

Ford and other automakers are increasingly focused on self-driving cars and the potentially disruptive influence autonomous cars may have on future car ownership. They face potential threats from new competitors from Silicon Valley. Ford is exploring alternatives like car-sharing and other options to meet future transportation needs.

Fields told Reuters earlier this month the automaker is exploring various options to boost its move into car-sharing, self-driving technology, and services built on staying connected with customers during the 900 or so hours a year they are behind the wheel.

The company has repeatedly declined to comment on reports that Ford is pursuing an alliance with Internet leader Alphabet Inc.’s Google to collaborate on the development of self-driving cars. Reuters reported in December that the companies have held talks and Fields met with Google co-founder Sergey Brin that same month to discuss the status of the talks.

Ford is pursuing its own efforts to develop autonomous driving technology and said earlier this month it would triple the size of its self-driving car test fleet to 30 vehicles.

Ford spokesman Mike Moran said “IBM is a global company with a rich history of innovation and disrupting its business model to deliver results – which is very complementary to what we are doing at Ford. Mark will bring unique insights to IBM, and his experience and new relationships serving on the IBM board will bring equal benefits back to Ford.”

In recent weeks, there’s been a lot of buzz about Apple building a vehicle to rival efforts from other tech companies already in the race. However, given the amount of rumors always surrounding Apple, we remain skeptical.

According to Bloomberg News report, Apple has a team of over 200 employees working in a car project and it has snatched top-level executives from Ford and Mercedes. The same sources say Apple is aiming at 2020 for a release date.

But is Apple actually working on a car? Or is it trying to develop new technology for the dashboard? What we know is that when/if Apple enters a new industry, it changes the playing field. Apple already offers an in-car infotainment system called CarPlay, which takes over the onboard screen and displays the familiar iOS interface, with access to Siri, Maps, Phone, Messages and Music through your iPhone. Apple is all about the user experience, and if the company feels the current solutions are not good enough, they will do something about it.

Although the company has deep pockets (an estimated $178 billion cash-on-hand), the intricacy of the vehicle production system and supply chain still amount for what makes car companies great today. For the last 100 years, major improvements in the auto industry have been on the production side, and each time a manufacturer makes big strides on this front, they attain an unprecedented level of success. Ford started early in the 1900 with innovations in the assembly line, then GM in the 80’s and Toyota in the 90’s.

Apple is also known for its flawless management of the supply chain and production, so we can expect advancements on this front.

So do you think Apple is actually building a car? All we have to say is that when they first introduced the iPhone, no one thought they could do it.

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Lamarque Ford is proud to be one of the premier dealerships in New Orleans, LA. Located in Kenner, LA, Lamarque Ford is committed to providing you the best customer service and vehicle service for the life of your vehicle. Whether you’re on the market to purchase, finance, or service a new or used Ford vehicle, you’ve come to the right place.